


Sick Day

by embarrassingresultofmyfreetime



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: 10 finally gets to wear simm!masters hoodie bc I'm soft like that, Donna makes fun of simm!master a bit because you know she would if given the chance, Fluff, I don't know who started the resurgence of tensimm on tumblr, TenSimm - Freeform, Thoschei, Wholesome, but THANK YOU, see notes for inspo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-30
Updated: 2020-06-30
Packaged: 2021-03-04 21:21:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,807
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25003039
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/embarrassingresultofmyfreetime/pseuds/embarrassingresultofmyfreetime
Summary: The Master has everything set up for his latest evil scheme but when he tracks down the Doctor, he realizes his best enemy is in no condition to fight. So the Master does what any good nemesis does and takes care of him.
Relationships: Tenth Doctor & The Master (Simm), The Doctor & The Master (Doctor Who), The Doctor/The Master (Doctor Who)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 57





	Sick Day

**Author's Note:**

> I saw [this post](https://mastershearts.tumblr.com/post/189996707193/okay-but-the-doctor-is-sick-and-the-master-comes) by @mastershearts at like 3am last night and I just had to write it
> 
> This is G but yes there are a few swear words. I figure if you're looking up tensimm on this site then you already know what you're getting into lol

The Master's incredible ability to escape had always been one of his best qualities. In his experience, getting out of a tight spot was quite literally the difference between life and death. Hell, he had only escaped the Time War using his clever mind and quite a lot of luck.

Now, after escaping yet another terrifying and batshit crazy situation, he was back on Earth.

Moreover, he was back in England in the 21st century _and_ he knew where the Doctor's Tardis was. The daft old fool had left it parked on the same corner for three days now, out in the open and completely vulnerable.

It made the Master's hearts race to see it again, to have the Doctor nearly within his grasp. He could feel his blood coursing through him and anger swelling deep inside him.

The Doctor, that bastard, that fool racing around with Earth girls, doing whatever he pleased whenever it saw fit.

The Doctor, so holier than thou, so unbroken while the Master suffered in agony trying to catch up with him. The Doctor, living his best devil-may-care and happy-go-lucky life, all while masquerading as a God. What a hypocrite.

The Master would make him see the error of his ways.

THIS TIME the Doctor- the most powerful and unstoppable force in the universe- would bend to the _Master's_ will.

The impenetrable Tardis? What a cheap lie to tell the humans. If the Tardis lock wasn't easy to pick the Doctor wouldn't _have_ his Tardis at all!

The Master had everything in place and felt a rush of excitement as the Tardis door clicked open. Sure the Master's hair was still a mess, sure he was wearing the same old ripped black hoodie, and yeah his shoes were the wrong size.

So what? What were simple pleasantries when he could chase that rush of seeing the Doctor. That rush that made being stuck on this filthy planet worth it.

His anger burned like a million suns, his eyes wild as he disabled the Tardis alarm that blared as the Tardis recognized his entrance.

"What was that?" the Master heard yet ANOTHER human voice ask from further within the ship.

The Master rolled his eyes with a heavy sigh. He didn't even bother to speculate which flavor of the week it was this time. So many humans came and went he didn't bother keeping track anymore. They felt interchangeable, a new one or two, different every time his path crossed the Doctor's.

He heard steps close in from one of the halls. The Master ducked behind one of the large- and ridiculous looking- support beams.

"Do you think a squirrel got in or something?" The human pondered, glancing around the room, "Can they even do that?"

The Master pinched the bridge of his nose. _Humans_. How could the Doctor _stand them?_

The human quickly stepped about the room and spotted the intruder.

The Master, knowing he'd been made, lept out.

"Oi, gremlin boy! Go find another box to hang out in!"

The Master scrunched up his face in confusion and stood up properly. The Master's eyes scanned over the human with a hint of disgust.

She had bright red hair, past her shoulders but with bangs in the front. She was dressed casually but in more of a business kind of way.

Judging from her expression, she simply looked annoyed and the way she crossed her arms only further proved it.

"Gremlin?" The Master repeated, offended, "Do you have any idea who I am?"

"No and I don't care. Get lost," the lady shooed him along.

The Master reached for his screwdriver and pondered which of the more violent applications he should use as he glared at the human.

"It would be in your best interest not to-"

A soft shuffle of steps could suddenly be heard from the same hall from which the human had emerged. The new steps were slow and were accompanied by the soft rustle of something dragging along the wall. The steps on the metal floor echoed through the console room as the newcomer approached.

The human completely disregarded the Master and turned to the third party.

"Doctor, go back to bed," the human soothed, "Some guy just got lost. You must've left the Tardis door unlocked again."

There was a sniffling noise and before the Master could figure out what was happening, the Doctor emerged in blue, plaid sleep pants, fuzzy slippers, and an enormous blanket covering almost every part of him except his face and hands.

His eyes were still watery from sneezing and his nose was red from the constant use of tissues. The outline of his features looked a little deeper set than usual while his cheeks were quite pale.

And still, despite the exhausted look on his face, the Doctor smiled at the sight of the Master. His glistening eyes glimmered in the amber light.

"Iz alright, Donna. He's my friend," the Doctor said softly from where leaned against the wall.

"Who?" The human, Donna apparently, asked, "This guy? He looks like he got lost walking home from playing drums in a garage band!"

The Doctor chuckled.

"Excuse you! I-" the Master began.

The Doctor quickly cut him off.

"You said you have work, don't you, Donna? I'll be fine for the day."

Donna hummed, about ready to argue, but then glanced at her watch and decided otherwise.

"Fine, but I'll be back later. Stay out of trouble?"

The Doctor smiled at her, "Yes, promise. I'm not going to be doing much of anything at the moment."

Donna nodded reluctantly and forced a smile before heading for the front door. She made a 'I'm watching you' gesture to the Master, whom she had never met before, and then shut the Tardis door behind her.

The Master didn't move for a moment, thinking long and hard about how the hell he was supposed to respond to this.

"Human?"

"My friend," the Doctor agreed before painful sounding coughs shook his body.

"What's wrong with you?" the Master asked flatly, more confused than anything else. Thus was, quite simply, the last thing he had expected to be met with.

"Sick. I got mildly poisoned from this..." he paused to take a deep breath before continuing, "this thing on this... planet. It's not contagious so Donna was..." he took another deep breath, his eyes falling closed, "seeing how I was doing. It should only last a couple more days."

There was a few seconds of silence, the soft whirl of the Tardis the only noise echoing through the room.

The Master finally decided to cross the distance between them and examine the Doctor. For a minute, he wasn't quite sure if the high and mighty Last of the Time Lords had fallen asleep right where he was standing.

"Doctor?" The Master asked softly.

The Doctor's eyes snapped open again and he glanced over the Master's softly concerned face before smiling warmly.

"Just resting, sorry. What did you say?"

The Master shook his head and turned away. He'd have to call off his latest scheme, even though he probably wouldn't get his deposit back on that helicopter.

The Doctor would simply be no fun to toy with in this state.

"Let's get you back to bed, like your little human said."

The Doctor groaned in annoyance as the Master gently turned him around and coaxed him back down the hall.

"Be nice," the Doctor told the Master without any force behind his tired words, "Donna's nice. ... Alright, maybe not _nice_ but she's kind and she's honest. That definitely counts."

"I wasn't keeping score," the Master said simply as he walked in slow steps parallel to the Doctor's trudging.

Technically speaking, he wasn't keeping score, but the Master definitely had a list which ranked his favorite to least favorite 'companions' of the Doctor. And now he had one more name to add to it.

"Sure," was all the Doctor said.

The Master let the Doctor lead them to what was apparently his room. Once inside, the Doctor tossed himself down on the bed once more and layed there silently for a long minute.

The Master glanced about the room. There really wasn't much there. There was a photo or two of people who the Master guessed were human friends, as well as his usual attire tossed about, mostly over a nearby chair.

"Have you eaten?" the Master asked.

"What?" The Doctor's stuffy voice replied as he sat himself up.

"Food, you idiot. Have you eaten it?"

The Doctor shook his head and then layed back down.

"Just leave me alone," he whined, "I can't do anything today so at least let me suffer in peace."

The Master shook his head,

"You've quite effectively messed up MY day so the least I can do is return the favor. Now go to sleep. I can't deal with you all... lackluster like this."

The Doctor lifted his head as the Master exited the room.

"Wait, I can't have you just wondering about the Tardis! Ugh... forget it," he moaned, dropping his head back into the nearest pillow.

He would have to deal with it when he woke up.

-

Beep... beep... beep... b-

Wait.

Why was something beeping?

The Doctor pulled himself out of his sleepy haze and leapt out of bed before his mind could catch up with his limbs.

In seconds, he was out the door and racing down the hall.

Beep... beep... beep....

Sleep, then Donna, then the Master- oh stars, the Master! What kind of self-detonating bomb had he planted in the Tardis this time?

He sprinted through the halls, with 'sprinted' being generous given how tired the Doctor still was.

All he had on his mind was tracking down the explosive. He was pretty out of it, but he needed to stop it- preferably _before_ the explosion caused irreparable damage to his ship.

The halls felt endless, but he was getting closer. The beeping was getting louder with every step.

One hall, then two, and then he suddenly found himself in... a kitchen?

His eyes looked up to see the Master halfway through the action of picking up a kitchen timer. Their eyes met and neither looked away as the Master shut off the timer.

The beeping stopped.

"The one time I ask you to leave me alone! I trusted you and... what- what is that?" the Doctor demanded, all while holding onto the nearest wall and trying to catch his breath.

The Master's eyes widened slightly in surprise but his voice quickly slipped into his same old sarcasm.

"It's called a _timer_ , dear," the Master belittled the Doctor as he returned the small device to the island in the middle of the room, "They come in quite useful when cooking. Although that's probably one of the few things you know nothing about."

"You're... cooking?" the Doctor asked, baffled.

"Yes. I... brought you some medicine, the disgusting kind of course, and then..." the Master glanced around for a moment, as if he'd forgotten himself, "I figured there was still some time before you woke up. Here."

The Master picked up a plate from the counter and set it on the island for the Doctor.

On it sat a still-warm grilled sandwich with ham and melted cheese along with a small bowl of soup.

The Doctor watched the Master for a minute before cautiously approaching the plate and taking a bite of the sandwich. It tasted amazing. He hadn't even realized how hungry he had been until now.

While he ate, the Master turned to the oven and pulled out a tray.

The Doctor assumed that must've been what the timer was for.

"What else did you make?" The Doctor asked when he found the item wrapped in foil.

The Master grinned, "The rest of the ham."

The Doctor chuckled weakly, "Of course."

"I'm hungry too!" The Master hissed, "Worry about yourself! And go take that medicine in the bag."

The Doctor glanced over to find a bag hanging on one of the cabinet handles. He found... several options, but ultimately just took some aspirin to take the edge off of his aching body.

He was about to thank the Master, but the man was clearly preoccupied with his own meal. He had a large knife in hand to cut off large chunks, and shoved them into his mouth with his bare hands at an almost alarming rate.

The Doctor simply turned back to his own food.

"How's your form?" He asked when the Master came up for air.

"Shoddy," the Master growled simply. He gulped down what was in his mouth and paused to speak before taking more,

"It's exhausting, but it's staying together well enough for now. As long as I keep refueling the energy it burns."

The Doctor hummed to acknowledge his explanation.

"It'll just have to keep together for a little longer," the Master added. "Your idiocy has pushed back my time table."

"I didn't pick this," the Doctor said, sniffing once more. He sneezed a moment later and then moaned in annoyance at the head rush.

The Master chuckled as he quickly scraped the last bits of meat from the bone.

"You're more pathetic than me," he chuckled.

"Can we talk about something else? I'm too tired for our usual arguing," the Doctor pleaded.

"And what would you rather talk about? You'd prefer some light bantering?" The Master finished his meal and moved to lean on the opposite side of the tall kitchen island.

"Anything," the Doctor sighed.

The Master grinned darkly.

"Well you do realize there's a thing called a 'fridge', don't you? You realize you could put food in it so that I don't have to go to the store and risk murdering the many incompetent people who work there."

The Doctor sighed as the Master continued,

"I mean really. You're already so thin. Have you even _once_ bothered to use this kitchen before? Your pans don't even look like they've ever been used before I touched them. Honestly, how have you survived this long?"

The Doctor snickered, "Almost sounds like you're worried about me."

The Master didn't take the bait.

"I need my best enemy in tip top condition is all."

"Me?" The Doctor chuckled, "Look at you! Did you put that sweatshirt through a shredder yourself? Or did you pay extra for that chic 'worn' look?"

The Master stepped closer, a faintly amused smile on his face, "You're not on in a position to talk about fashion, dear. It's actually quite warm, and certainly more comfortable than a suit. If anything, you're envious."

"Sure," the Doctor scoffed, stirring his soup with his spoon.

But he did have to admit, part of him did wish he had the Master's hoodie. He did his best to suppress a shiver at the mere thought. He'd wished he had brought his blanket with him, but he hadn't thought of it when the timer had scared him out of bed.

Almost as if the Master had read his mind, the man sighed and pulled off his sweatshirt to reveal a bright red t-shirt underneath.

"What are you doing?" the Doctor asked as the Master offered it to him. There was such an... innocent kindness in the gesture that the Doctor could do little more than stare at the Master's shy smile.

"Just put it on, will you? You need it more than me right now," the Master assured him.

Finally, the Doctor took the item and happily pulled it on.

It was certainly worn beyond the point of being soft, but it was new enough that the fabric held strong. Despite being ripped, it was actually reasonably clean as well. He pulled the large hood over his head and smiled.

"Thank you."

The Master turned away so the Doctor couldn't see his reaction.

"It's nothing. I could use a new one anyways."

The Master turned his attention to cleaning up.

"Go get some rest. I want to get out of here before your human friend gets back. They always ask so many questions and I'm not going to answer them."

The Doctor chuckled.

"Yeah, I'm not looking forward to explaining who you are when Donna gets back either."

They shared a smile for a short moment.

"Call me when you're better," the Master told him, his previously kind tone reverting back to a sharp demand, "I have things to get back to."

The Doctor nodded. He was still tired, but admittedly feeling a little better now that he had eaten and taken some medicine.

That, or maybe the Master's pleasant company had just made him forget about his current situation.

"Alright," the Doctor chuckled sleepily, his hands in the large pocket of the hoodie.

"Goodnight, Master," he added mindlessly.

The Master chuckled warmly, "Goodnight, Doctor."

**Author's Note:**

> I have no excuse for this. It's been a long year. I write what I want.
> 
> Keep on staying safe, my friends! <3


End file.
